h+ making good sense of the bible
DESCRIPTION
Introducing h+ which is 10 steps to help your church do better.TRANSCRIPT
10 steps to help your church do Bible better
hplus.org.uk
How do we make good sense of the Bible?
3
How can we have more confi dence in the Bible?
What do we make of the conquest of Canaan? Can history help us understand Genesis today? Does the structure of biblical writing convey meaning?
How do we engage intelligently with the Bible outside the church?How do we make good sense of what the Bible says about a contemporary issue?
h+ Making Good Sense of the Bible provides 10 steps to help your church do Bible better.
Become an h+ facilitator and help your church make good sense of the Bible
4
Anecdotal and statistical evidence has pointed to a decline in biblical literacy amongst churchgoers. An increasing number of Christians (both church leaders and those in the pews) are expressing a lack of confi dence in the Church’s core text, and diffi culties with understanding how the Scriptures bear any relationship to their Christian discipleship.
As a response to this problem, Bible Society has developed the h+ Making Good Sense of the Bible course to help equip Christians with biblical interpretation. The programme is not about providing simple answers but enabling participants to grow in understanding, experience and confi dence in how to interpret the Bible. Over 10 sessions the skills of ‘Biblical Hermeneutics’ are explained, modelled and practised. These are linked to key Christian virtues helping to show how Bible reading is directly related to spiritual growth.
h+ is delivered locally by trained facilitators who are specifi cally equipped to use the resources provided, facilitate the ten sessions and enable the activities that are integral to the learning experience. Bible Society expect that facilitators will have:
• a serious commitment to the Bible as the core text of the Christian Church and for their own development and formation
• a passion to help theologically untrained Christians access the Bible better
• a willingness to teach, encourage and stimulate people to engage with the Bible
• a good working knowledge of the Bible
• a good reputation as a teacher, minister or priest (both trained or lay) among their peers.
Facilitator training and enabling workshops take place over one day. Lunch and refreshments are provided, and you’ll receive your own multi-media facilitator’s pack consisting of course books, PowerPoint slides and video materials.
5
9.30 am Arrival and coffee
9.45 am Welcome and introductions, preparing for the day
10.00 am The vision, ethos and defi nition of h+
11.15 am Coffee break
11.30 am h+ Session 3
1.00 pm Lunch
1.45 pm Four key messages from h+
3.00 pm Tea
3.15 pm Fast-track through h+ Sessions 7 and 9
4.15 pm Practicalities and next steps
You’ll see and hear all you need to know about h+, learn how to teach it to others, and gain the confi dence and skill to make h+ a transforming experience for your church or Bible study group. To register your interest please indicate on the Response page (13).
If your church would be interested in hosting a Training and Enabling Day, then please indicate on the Response page.
A typical programme for the day will be:
6
Many thanks for a stimulating day. It was very informative, the resources are excellent and I can see lots of potential for the h+ programme. It’s long overdue as an accessible focus for Christian discipleship, providing a deeper understanding of the Bible and greater confi dence about its content.Howard Green, Hampshire
Thank you for Monday - one of the best training days I have attended for some time. The h+ course will prove to be a great help in understanding the HOW about the Bible and I hope along with you that it is a great success and well used.Major Drew McCombe, Salvation Army
I would like to use h+ at our church. Defi nitely want to grow biblical literacy and give people tools to enable them to understand and apply Scripture for themselves.Cliff Newham, Malvern
A superb day and I have enjoyed it enormously.Canon Douglas Holt, Bristol
I was very pleased with this introduction. It was clear and direct. The material is well thought through. I do intend to roll this resource out to members of my fellowship. Now I have to identify the fi rst ten weeks!Major David Woodman, Essex
Well led training day so that I am properly informed as to the purpose and usefulness of h+. I hope I can use the course for the next few years to train most church members in using the biblical text for living truly biblical lives. I feel it is at least two steps on from Alpha and is therefore unique and long overdue.Malcolm Haines, Surrey
What they say about h+ and the Training and Enabling Days:
7
Why h+?
Surprising numbers of Christians struggle to interpret the Bible and relate it to their daily lives. h+ enables them to do just that.
What is h+?
A 10 session course on how to make good sense of the Bible.
What is h+ about?
The art and science of Bible interpretation.
What is the + of h+?
Growing in character, faith and witness, by developing spiritual virtues such as perseverance, honesty and humility.
Who is h+ for?
h+ provides Christians with core skills, making them more confi dent in Bible interpretation. The course is for anyone, especially Bible readers untrained in scholarship or theology.
What is h+ about?
Participants learn about:
Author horizon – the world of the biblical writers and of the audiences.
Text horizon – genre, text, structure and context.
Reader horizon – being aware of our own interpretive lenses.
Application – how to approach diffi cult passages, learn from one another and apply our insights to daily Christian practice.
How does h+ work?
Church leaders wishing to facilitate the course are invited to a one-day facilitator training and enabling day. Bible Society offers on-going support as facilitators recruit and teach new h+ groups.
8
Sample Facilitators handbook pagesS
9
10
Sample Participants handbook pages S
11
12
Sample of powerpoint slides
13
Please keep me informed of future h+ Training and Enabling Days
My name and address details are:
TITLE: NAME:
SURNAME:
ADDRESS:
POST CODE:
EMAIL*:
TELEPHONE*:*This tells us that you are happy to be contacted in this way
CHURCH NAME:
CHURCH DENOMINATION:
CHURCH LOCALITY:
We promise the information given will be used to keep you informed of the diverse ways Bible Society is working to end Bible poverty.
Should you not wish us to do so, please phone us on 01793 418222 or email: [email protected]
We never sell the details of our supporters. However, from time to time, we would like to introduce to the work of other Christian agencies worthy of your support and prayers.If you would rather not receive such information, please tick this box
Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DGT: 01793 418100 F: 01793 418118 Charity Reg. No 232759
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen
biblesociety.org.uk
ResponseSheet
14
PERSEVERANCE
CONFIDENCE
HONESTY
FAITHFULNESS
HUMILITY
COURAGE
OPENNESS
COMMUNITY
developing key Christian virtues needed in order to make good sense of the Bible
For further informationplease visit www.hplus.org.uk
Questions this leafl et or the website don’t answer?
Contact the h+ Consultant: [email protected]
Or Project Manager: [email protected]
Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DGT: 01793 418100 F: 01793 418118 Charity Reg. No 232759
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen
biblesociety.org.uk PBPM001388
h+ treats the ‘ordinary reader’ as a thinking being
Thought-provoking
A programme with huge potential
Inspiring!
Feedback from church leaders: